Direct Category Manager
Direct Category Manager
Location: Athens, Georgia
Compensation: $110,000 - $135,000 base salary
Summary:
The Direct Category Manager will be responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies across key direct material categories within the textile and carpet manufacturing industry. This role will oversee supplier management, cost optimization, and long‑term category planning for materials such as yarn, fibers, dyes, backing materials, resins, chemicals, and other core inputs to carpet and textile production. The ideal candidate brings strong experience in direct materials procurement within flooring, carpet, textiles, or related manufacturing environments, with a strong understanding of supply markets, production processes, and cost drivers.
Responsibilities:
- Manage sourcing strategies for direct materials including yarns, fibers, polymers, dyes, chemicals, backing materials, and related textile inputs.
- Evaluate supply markets, analyze cost structures, and identify opportunities for cost reduction and value improvement.
- Lead competitive sourcing events, negotiations, and long-term contract development with key suppliers.
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, ensuring quality, service, and delivery performance.
- Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, R&D, and Quality teams to align material strategies with product and production requirements.
- Support new product development initiatives through supplier selection, sampling, and material qualification processes.
- Assess supplier capacity, risk, and continuity of supply for core textile categories.
- Drive supplier performance improvements and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Conduct spend analytics, track savings, and report category performance to leadership.
- Ensure compliance with procurement processes, quality standards, and corporate policies.
- Monitor market trends, commodity pricing, and key industry indicators affecting textile and carpet materials.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Textile Science, or a related field.
- 5+ years of direct materials procurement experience in the textile, carpet, flooring, or fiber manufacturing industry.
- Strong understanding of yarns, fibers, carpet backing, dyes, polymers, and related production materials.
- Proven negotiation and contract management skills.
- Experience working closely with manufacturing, quality, and R&D teams.
- Strong analytical and cost‑modeling skills.
- Ability to build and maintain supplier relationships and drive performance improvements.
- Proficiency with ERP systems and procurement analytics tools.
- Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPM, or CSCP are a plus.
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